Xbox One SmartGlass Beta now available for Windows Phone

You can control your Xbox One with so many modes of input. Use the Xbox One controller, use Kinect or use the Xbox One SmartGlass app on Windows Phone. The phone app is great and we have no major complaints, but that doesn’t mean Microsoft isn’t innovating. The company has just pushed out a beta version of SmartGlass for Windows Phone. The app gives you a sneak peek at new features coming. Let’s check it out.

If you have an Xbox One (or Xbox 360) you’re probably pretty familiar with SmartGlass. The app allows users to control their Xbox console using their phone, tablet or PC. You can start games with the app, control video playback and much more. The app was announced earlier today as part of a broader Xbox One beta initiative from Microsoft. Though the app went under the radar, so we figured we'd highlight it so you don't miss it.

Here’s what the future features you can get today with the Xbox One SmartGlass Beta for Windows Phone:

OneGuide support built into SmartGlass

View what’s on TV without interrupting what you’re doing on your Xbox One

Change TV channels on your Xbox One through OneGuide on SmartGlass

Find and favorite TV Channels

TV Universal Remote Control to control your Cable Box and TV

Unfortunately we’re not near an Xbox One at the moment (Hello Build 2014!), but we can’t wait to try out these new features. Download the app and let us know what you think If you’re near an Xbox One.

In my personal experience, I'm seeing more and more people looking for alternatives to traditional television. Could Microsoft's TV initiative with the Xbox One be a bit too late to the game? I feel it is - That the resources Microsoft is putting into television are misplaced. Myself and many others I know have cut the cord a long time ago and now watch just Hulu, Netflix, et al. And the one thing I've learned since making that move? I'm never going back.

Me and my wife still watch alot of tv, some netflix and alot of torrents. Same with my circle and the people I know off hand. Alot watch netflix, but still like being able to see live tv. I'm sure MS knows the numbers of how netflix and hulu are adding more subscribers, but for the majority of the population, the tv is still where they congregate. Until Netflix or hulu gets live sports..........MS is still in a good position.

Well, in the US, we like our satellite, thank you very much. I watch Hulu & Netflix for things I can't get on Dish or things I didn't capture on the DVR. Hulu & Netflix allow you to see things the next day AT BEST. If I want to watch a program I don't want to have to wait. Even DVR is better than waiting for Hulu or Netflix. So, yes, I'm very glad to see Microsoft not leave TV/Cable/Sat behind. Until Hulu, Netflix or others allow viewing of shows the moment they are broadcast, TV will still win.

Thank you RyanAMG. Just ignore them and eventually they will tire of it too. It's like when a little kid copies everything you do. It is funny for about two seconds and then you get mad and tell them to stop and they derive more enjoyment from it. Just ignore them and do nothing, then they will get bored and go away.

How did you set it up. I'm in the UK and thought it was worth looking if they had added it, followed the setting the app said to, but it isn't there. It says to go to TV & Cable, but I only have TV & One Guide. No way to set up sky box :(

I have it in UK. You can choose from Sky, Virgin Media, Freeview, Freesat, Astra 19.2 and BT Vision. I didn't have it earlier but when I checked back a few hours later I could set it up. I cleared the OneGuide when I was in there the first time. Went into the TV app later it asked me to setup OneGuide, entered my post code and selected my TV provider and away I went.
As Harshana said it is only if you are part of the Xbox One Preview at the moment and will roll out later for everyone.

I'm glad the one guide is finally coming to sky, and being able to control it from your phone is an obvious idea in surprised wasn't always available. Sky themselves have an app (for ios and android) which allows you to scroll through the guide, record what you want and change the channel on the tv through your phone, just like this beta can now do. It was always a lot faster using the sky app than the remote, so I'm glad we'll finally have the ability again on WP, even if it does require a £430 additional equipment and wont work as well. :D

Bell was an option when I set mine up for Rogers. I was under the impression bell ONLY offered satellite. They don't have a cable offering to my knowledge so I would suspect that the Bell option will work for satellite.

I just tried to set up my TV for the remote function and it didn't work. The navigation path it tells you where to set it up is different from what is on the current build. So the update appears to be required for that function. The OneGuide works.

I was ahead of this information. I tool to the store to look up Xbox One Smartglass to see if there was an update for the app and I found the beta. I downloaded it, then I got a message about this article. I'm at work. I'll check it out when I get home. Microsoft is keeping to its promise. Also, keep up the good work at WPcentral.. Can't wait for build 14 to start..

Not bad, so far. I just started playing with it and it would be nice if my favorites would sync from the 1 to the app, but I understand it's a beta. Looking at the guide on the app is a nice improvement. Being able to change to the channel your viewing in the app is great. I'll play some more.

And the beta app on my Surface works a little differently but is equally awesome. To get favorites to sync I had to setup a few channels, exit the app and restart the app and all my favs were synced. Love where they're going with this. Fantastic stuff.

...and if I live in 2014 and don't have a cable box.... All I can do now is see the OTA channels available but since my antenna doesn't pass through my xbox1 I can't control or change channels. Waiting on a 'modern' fix for THIS

why do you say it is clumsy? I love being able to control the tv with voice commands. The only issue I had was still needing the cable remote for DVR but now I can use smartglass to control the cable DVR. Should not be long until you can use voice commands also.

Having to jump between a few remotes
Accidentally hitting Xbox controller buttons and it changes something
Having to adjust volume on two devices (Soundbar and WMC)
Xbox voice commands that don't quite work as spoken (I seem to snap Skype a lot)
These are just a few, not deal breakers by any means just clumsiness in the convergence of the two systems. I'll give it some more time before I decide to pull the TV hdmi out from Xbox though, to see of it's better.

I've already removed the TV from my Xbox One. It was great until one day my girlfriend wanted to watch TV and couldn't get a picture. The following day I went to reset the cable box (due to an unrelated issue) and while rebooting the Xbox stopped passing through the video image. The back to back picture issues caused me to disconnect the TV from the Xbox. It was awesome at first but the little inconveniences made it not so worth it. One other thing I forgot to mention. I used my Harmony One remote with the Xbox One and TV which worked awesome together. This way I could use voice commands and a (really great) remote control when controlling the DVR or maneuvering through the cable menus.

I may have to pull my harmony remote out and re-set it up. A new frustration I've found is that the Remote feature in the app activates my TV/Sound Bar volume when I want it to activate the WMC volume.

I have Uverse and will be getting an X1 by mid summer, is it true you can totally have your xbox on all day/all night as you watch tv, switch to play games, switch back to tv.. etc.. all day long? lol just want to be sure there is no risk. Because one I get this machine IT WILL become my all in one system lol so I will abuse it badly.

Yes, you can leave the X1 on all the time but I'd advise you turn on the X1 sleep mode for longevity. Heat kills electronics and to have it on non-stop for long extended periods of time adds wear and tear on the box. Also, the uverse box will automatically go into sleep mode after so long and you will have to manually wake it up with the OK button. This behavior as of today can't be changed in the Uverse Settings. If the Uverse Box isn't out of sleep mode, it can't recieve commands and pass the TV feed. But when both are up and running, you can switch back and forth infinitely between games, TV, music and streaming apps like HUL/Netflix.

Question here, I'm with Videotron in Quebec and there's no option (yet i hope) but bell,shaw etc are all there....does that means that videotron doesn't want to sign with xbox one or what, i can't use it and that frustrating me

We like sports
We like watching sons immediately not 7 months later.
Do not want the hassle of dl torrents only to find out that 36gb file of big bang is fucked up or wrong codec to throw to my TV
Just so Damn convenient
Internet is so much higher without a cable sub.

So how does this work, as far as app management. I currently have the Xbox One SmartGlass apps on my Lumia and Surface. So, I should uninstall those apss and download the beta version? Then what happens? The beta versions will be magically updated into the final versions? Or, I will have to uninstall them both and then re-download the now updated 'real' versions of the apps? Very confusing.

Beta one guide is shoddy. I only like to use my favorite channels and that listing is broken on both windows 8 and phone beta. It just says content not available. But if I look at regular listings of same channels (not in my face list) the content works fine. Fix or f u